Grease cup



J. 'W. RHOADES GREASE CUP June '2', 1927. 1,631,158

Filed Anril 30, 1924 Patented June 7, 1927.

ilali'l'jEfi SIAYEfi JAMES WILLIAM RHOADES, OF HARRIS, MISSOURI.

GREASE GUI.

Application filed April 30, 1924. Serial No. 710,080.

This invention relates to an improved grease cup particularly adapted for use upon motor vehicles although it may well be employed for general use, and seeks, among other objects, to provide a cup which may be filled with grease without the necessity for removing the cap of the cup.

The invention seeks, as a further object, to provide a grease cup wherein the cap will l9 be provided with a filling opening for the cup and wherein said opening will normally be closed by a. valve so as to prevent the entrance of dirt or other foreign particles into the cup.

And the invention seeks, as a still further object, to provide a novel mounting for the valve.

Other and incidental objects will appear hereinafter.

In the drawings: I

Figure 1 is a sectional view of my improved grease cup and illustrating a grease gun to be employed in connection with the cup, and

Figure 2 is a bottom plan view of the cap of the cup.

In carrying the invention into efiect, I employ a cup shell provided at its lower end with a tubular stem 11 threaded at its lower terminal for mounting the cup. Screwed over the cup is a removable cap 12 and secured to the cap at opposite sides thereof is a pair of retaining springs 13 provided with V-shaped lower terminals 14 to cooperate with the shell for holding the cap against accidental displacement when screwed upwardly upon the shell. Formed in the top wall of the cap is a central filling opening 15 at the upper end of a sphericallyshaped valve seat 16 and associated with the valve seat is a depending valve cage comprising a pair of crossed substantially U-shapcd cage members or straps 17. The cage members are arranged at substantially a right angle to each other and the diver gent sides thereof are inserted at their upper ends through suitable slots in the top wall of the cap when the ends of said members are heat over against said wall to form termine: lugs 1.8 rigidly connecting the mem= bers with the cap. Confined within the cage is a spring 19 and frietionally gripped by the upper end of said spring is a ball valve 20 normally held by the spring to rest in the valve seat 16 closing the filling opening 15.

In conjunction with the grease cup, I provide grease gun having a grease receiving barrel 21. This grease gun may be of a any approved design with the exception that, in accordance with the present invention, the barrel 21 is equipped with a discharge spout 22 which is provided at its outer end with a pair of dischargenotches 23 at opposite sides of the spout and formed on the spout in the rear of the notches is a stop flange 24. The spout 22 is of a diameter to be freely received through the filling opening 15 of the cap 12 of the grease cup so that by inserting the spout=-in said opening, the valve 20 may be depressed until the flange 24 of the spout strikes the top wall of the cap. The flange will then form a firm support for the grease gun while, at the same time, closing the filling opening 15 around the spout so that the gun may be operated for forcing grease into the cup through the notches 23 of the spout and filling the-cup. Upon the withdrawal of the gun, the valve 20 will, of course, be returned to rest in the seat 16 for excluding so dust and dirt. I accordingly provide a particularly elficient construction for the purpose set forth and, as will be seen, a grease cup which will eliminate the usual waste of grease as well as the usual disagreeable features experienced in filling ordinary grease cups. Should it be desired to remove the cap 12, said cap may, of course, be unscrewed from the shell in the usual manner but unless the cap is thus intentionally removed, the springs 13 will serve to hold the cap in place. hen replacing the cap, the terminals 14 of the springs will, as will be seen, coact with the upper end edge of the shell for spreading the free ends of said springs, so that the cap may be'readily applied. In use, the cup will be found particularly convenient upon' steam shovels, shafting and all heavy machinery requiring plentiful and frequent lubrication.

Having thus described the invention, What I claim is:

In a grease cup, a cap having provided with a filling opening, 5 shaped cage members having the a top Wall crossed U- ends thereof inserted through the Wall-andformed wlth lugs connecting sald members with the JAMES WILLIAM RHOADES. [L. s.] 

